A Final Goodbye
by broadwaybear
Summary: The rest of the Ducks during and after Hans funeral. Told from Adams POV. Ducks old and new will always gather when one needs the others.


Disclaimer; I don't own the Ducks. Obviously

A Final Goodbye

Adam Banks hated funerals, he always had, but this one was the worst. Hans was one of them, Hans was what made them. _Did Hans know that his team was falling apart? _Adam thought, _Probably…Hans knew everything that happened on the ice… Who am I kidding? Hans just knew _everything.

What would happen now? The last thing that strung the Ducks together was gone. They had all rejected him, just like the Hawks had, Hans had been the last Duck to believe in him.

Adam was sitting in the front seat of his dad's car, trying to keep the tears from falling. Gordon Bombay had called his house and told him what had happened. That was a week ago. The pain had not gone away, no, it hadn't even lessened, it had, if anything, gotten stronger. Adam wasn't sure he could do this, wasn't sure he could keep from breaking down, falling to pieces to be caught up in the wind and blown far away. He could have done it if he had the rest of the team with him, but he was a stranger now, he had no team.

They pulled up to the cemetery, and Adam got out, his father had decided to wait in the car. There was no one for Adam, he had sat all alone at the service, too. None of the Ducks had even seen him. He walked up to where the crowd was gathering. The Ducks huddled together, protecting each other, some crying some not. Adam wished more than anything to be a part of that again. Then, as if on cue, Connie saw him. Wiping some of the tears from her eyes, she waved him over. He was shocked, the pain of loss not affecting him for a second while he wondered at why Connie could possibly want him there. By now the others were waving him over as well. He came.

They pulled him into their embrace, protecting him as well. They were all crying, even Fulton had a few tears falling down his face, no one was sobbing, just a few silent tears of remembrance. Everyone was there…_Wait, _he thought, _Not everyone. Where's Charley?_

He looked around for the Captain Duck. There on the other side of the coffin was Charley, alone except for his mom. That's when it struck him. He was not the one on his own, he was not the one who had been abandoned by the team. It was Charley, or at least, Charley had abandoned the team. Adam was there in the love and support and Charley was out in the cold.

Adam wanted to bring him over and, looking at the others faces, they wanted to as well. But they didn't because Charley didn't want to come over, he wanted to be by himself. So they left him alone.

Taking one last collective breath, they spread out, regaining some of their composure and wiping tears from their eyes. The last people had come, the final part of the service was beginning.

It was just about over when Coach Bombay made his way through the crowd. He was holding something in his hand. A Ducks jersey, number 11, Hans.

"Every time we touch the ice remember; it was Hans that taught us to fly." Bombay said simply. And it struck home. The Ducks gathered there in that cemetery knew they would remember those words for the rest of their lives.

Charley ran off and the service ended. Everyone placed their rose on top of the coffin and left.

"We're meeting at the shop. Right now, I don't know for how long." Connie told him softly.

"I'll be there." he told her, for that's all he could say without breaking down. She nodded and left.

Adam walked back to his car and told his father. "We're going to the shop."

"Who is?" his father asked gruffly. Mr. Banks also hated funerals and had no great love for Hans, so he didn't seem to particularly care.

"The Ducks." Adam replied.

"Why are you going? Thought they didn't like you anymore." Adam bristled a little at this.

"I'm a Duck." Adam told his father a little indignently, "and Ducks stick together."

"Fine." his father didn't say anything after that and they drove away. It was a half hour dirive across town to get to the shop and by that time some of Adams tears had fallen down his face.

They got to the shop and Mr. Banks said, "Call me when you're ready to come home." Adam nodded and left the car. Walking in he saw most of the others were already there. The J.V. Ducks had come: Julie, Connie, Fulton, Luis, Dwayne, Guy, Russ, Averman, Goldberg, and Kenny were all there as expected. But the old Ducks were there, too. The originals, most of whom had not come to the funeral. Tommy and Tammy were both there as were, Terry, Jesse, Peter, and Karp. Even Portman had flown in from Chicago. Everyone was there… no not everyone. Charlie was still not present.

Tears stuck in his eyes, everyone was there but the one they needed to lead them.

"any sign of Charley?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"He's not coming." Jesse answered. Adam sat down. How seventeen people fit in that back room is still a mystery, let's just say it wasn't entirely comfortable. Silence filled the room, the pain of loss hanging like a tangible thing in the air. Many were crying. Even Peter had tears in his eyes. It stayed that way for fifteen straight minutes.

Suddenly, Jesse jerked up straight. "Look at us!" he cried, not quite shouting, "We're pathetic! What would Hans say if he were here?"

No one said anything for a second, seriously thinking about it, then Adam spoke up. "Why sitting around moping? People die everyday." he said in a bad accent.

"What is wrong with you all? I'm gone, it's a beautiful day, go do something useful." Guy added.

"You're here I'm not, so what? It isn't the end of the world." Karp.

"You've still got each other don't you? Isn't that what matters?" Goldberg.

"You're Ducks so act like Ducks." Connie.

"If you're with the team you can get through anything." Averman.

Peter smiled and added in a very non Hans-like way, "Get your butts off my couch you rotten bunch of whiners." they all laughed, and realized none of them had laughed since receiving the news.

Jesse sobered up and added, "I'm just one Duck. You've still got the rest of the flock to worry about."

Every one nodded and looked around. Old Ducks and new, they were part of the same team.

"But we're not Ducks any more." Russ said, "We're Warriors now."

"No you're not." Tommy cut him off. "You're still Ducks. I don't really know you and I've never played with you, but I know that being a Duck is more than just a name."

"Yeah," Tammy agreed, "It's a part of who you are, it's part of everything you do."

"It goes beyond the ice, it goes beyond the team." Julie added.

"You don't stop being a Duck." came a new voice. "You can't. Being a Duck means becoming a new person. It means you don't give up, it means you keep fighting even when the odds are against you, it means that no matter what happens, you always have it each other. Because no matter what happens, what do Ducks do?"

"DUCKS FLY TOGETHER!!" came the resounding cry as all the faces of Ducks old and new, looked up at Gordon Bombay.

"That's absolutely right." he smiled, "I mean it when I say that Hans taught us to fly. But he wouldn't want us to lose our wings as soon as he was gone. He's given us the tools to stick together, to stay a flock. And you've proven that right now just by coming together here." They all nodded. It was true, they could stick together through everything and they would, thanks to Hans.

"Right now, though, there's a Duck out there that's in trouble." Gordon continued.

"Charlie." Jesse said.

"That's right. One Duck is trying to leave the flock, but he'll come back. I just need you guys to have a little faith in him." They all nodded again, no one would ever stop having faith in their leader, Charley had always been their captain, the one who held them together. Maybe it was time to repay him for that, maybe it was time for the team to hold him together instead.

_Cause no matter what life throws at us_, Adam thought, _We know that we can count on each other. No matter who we are or where we're from, one thing will always remain true. It doesn't matter what generation we are, District 5, Team USA, Eden Hall, or a little bit of every thing, thanks to you Hans Ducks will always fly together._

_We'll always miss you, and our ranks will never be complete without you. But you've given us the ability to stay together. We _will_ make it._

_Thank you and Goodbye. _


End file.
